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CYCLING
– IT’S THE NEW GOLF
 By
Dr Andrew Garnham*
Cycling has become popularly known as “the new golf”
with a recent upsurge in participation in road cycling in
particular. Much like the running boom of the 1970’s
many people, especially middle-aged men, have taken up the
sport for the first time.
This is the result of multiple factors – fashion, sore
knees with other forms of exercise, social interaction, and
increased television exposure of the Tour de France. For many
cyclists, environmental awareness, fuel costs and improved
commuting efficiency are also important influences.
Governments are gradually beginning to recognise the benefits
of developing a cycling community with improvements in both
on and off road facilities. Some cities and countries have
embraced cycling as transport in major activity centres
with undeniable improvements in pollution, noise, traffic
flows and the wellbeing of participants.
There is much evidence to show the benefits of regular
exercise for many of our major public health problems such
as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. Public health
campaigns to encourage exercise participation unfortunately
do not meet with universal take up rates. Better design of
cities can lead to improved safety and efficiency of human
powered transport such as cycling and walking. These can
then reasonably become obligate activities, or at least the
obvious choice for most people.
The increased number of cyclists leads to a number of medical
considerations. Bicycles are efficient, and enable riders
to push themselves to levels of effort they otherwise might
not achieve. Appropriate cardiac screening becomes important
in this context. There is an important role for fitness testing
to ensure that participants are achieving optimal benefits
in a safe manner. Cycling events are often quite prolonged,
and hence have specific nutritional requirements. Most common
is the need for more food to sustain effort, which sometimes
must be reconciled with weight loss goals.
A number of injuries do occur with cycling even though it
is low impact. Most common are back and knee soreness. Strategies
for managing these problems are often quite different to
those employed in other activities such as walking and running.
Practitioners must be educated about some of these differences,
and understand the benefits of a properly fitted bicycle
and good pedalling technique.
Falls and crashes do occur, and resultant problems like fractured
collarbones require standard management. However, it is often
possible to safely resume some riding quite soon after injury,
as demands are different to those of many other sports.
At the competitive level, cycling is plagued by a tradition
of performance enhancing drug use. The nature of racing often
makes these substances appealing to competitors. While progress
has been slow, the introduction of better testing regimes
appears to be gradually leading to the goal of fair and safe
competition. The perception that all racing cyclists use
drugs is damaging to wider public acceptance, and must be
considered in public health campaigns.
*Dr Andrew Garnham, a senior lecturer in the School of Exercise
and Nutrition Sciences, was recently an invited keynote
speaker at the Sports Medicine New Zealand Conference in
Dunedin.
This is a multi-disciplinary conference involving practitioners
and sports scientists involved in all forms of sports and
exercise healthcare and research. In addition to his work
with Deakin, Dr Garnham also maintains a clinical practice,
and is currently president of the Australasian College of
Sports Physicians, which encompasses the new medical specialty
of sports and exercise medicine. He has had extensive experience
as race doctor at cycling tours and Olympic and world championships,
as well as involvement in coaching courses for those starting
out. One of the objectives of sports and exercise medicine
is to engage all members of the community in regular activity,
with anticipated improvements in fitness and a reduction in
health care needs.
For more information on Dr Garnham and his work:
http://www.deakin.edu.au/hmnbs/ens/staff/index.php?username=agarnm
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